Tag Archives: how do you like your tea?

Winter is here and the festive season isn’t far away – time to cosy up with a cuppa…

A cosy cup of Earl Grey, anyone?

Winter is officially here! The golden Autumn leaves have almost disappeared, Halloween has been and gone, and the festive season is fast approaching. My thoughts are turning to cosy afternoons tucked up at home or in front of a fire in an atmospheric, historical or country house hotel, with a great pot of tea and a sweet treat!

As you would expect at this time of year, the days are getting shorter, the nights are drawing in, and it’s got a lot colder. So what better time to get really cosy with a good cuppa tea?

What makes the Great British Brew?

A nice mug of tea – do you prefer a cup or a mug?

This month, there has been some fabulous research into the perfect cup of tea and the enduring British love affair with tea. With the importance of a good cup of tea and the tradition and ceremony of a properly made afternoon tea having a resurgence over the past few years, it seems our nation’s obsession with the perfect cuppa is showing no sign of waning.

Sykes Cottages have just completed a major piece of research all about The Great British Brew. Tea has inspired our artists and literary greats over the years, being the source and subject of many a famous quote. I’ll be sharing some of these as tea inspiration over the coming weeks.

They have also explored how the great British public likes to take their tea, asking 2,000 people in Britain about how and when they have their tea, with some interesting results:

Over half of British people take their tea white with no sugar

84% of people in Britain drink at least one cup of tea per day

People drink more tea the older they get – 33% of Brits over 55 drink five cups or more each day. This compares to a figure of just 11% for 18-24 year olds

It seems our tea making abilities also improve with age, as 68% of those surveyed aged 55 or over claimed they made the best tea, as opposed to 41% of 18-24 year olds.

It may come as no surprise that we’re a fussy bunch when it comes to making our tea, with 59% of those surveyed saying they preferred to make their own cup of tea

How to make the perfect cup of tea

How do you make the perfect cuppa?

With perfect timing, Whittard of Chelsea have just produced their guide to making the perfect cup of tea. It’s important to take into consideration the type of tea you are using, the temperature of the water, and what you are planning to use to brew your tea in. As big fans of tea will know, as a general rule, 3-5 minutes is about the right time to brew black teas, in freshly-boiled water, depending on how strong you like your brew. Lighter, more delicate teas, such as Darjeeling, white or green teas, should be brewed for no more than 3 minutes. It’s also important to remember that the water needs to be a little cooler for green and white teas, so don’t pour your water on these teas as soon as it’s boiled.